Teeth Grinder's Collection
Dead Can Dance 09/29/2012
Cirque Royale / Koninklijk Circus, Brussels, Belgium
| Source | AUD |
| Checksums | 251754b5db8f84facb64a9d7ac191697 flac/01_children_of_the_sun.flac fd8afe92298b6fd3996410280c6ad1b6 flac/02_anabasis.flac 9b166bce38ce994d3334cc46921caff3 flac/03_rakim.flac cf5bac78e28e37a89d5dc35f6d41c0ee flac/04_kiko.flac a286a61b21355a99305ccbdf31a6b497 flac/05_banter.flac 64a8faaffefa2bd12e95d1240bff2d87 flac/06_lamma_bada.flac 840bca6a45f03297e4966a47b5ec40bf flac/07_agape.flac e9b8313fc973ae9c07077215ed92e5e2 flac/08_amnesia.flac 7ee3b394684c0e83f32f9a0e6c17345d flac/09_sanvean.flac 76c2fa33afdfad9a6444d749b5a96ddc flac/10_nierika.flac 298dc90f79aaf617ff2e7eba6040b676 flac/11_opium.flac 820a84b70cf57eff8d6fc26a7ef4d6ba flac/12_the_host_of_seraphim.flac 04222fb0d869840109be4c3b27eb4937 flac/13_ime_prezakias.flac 42b9ed480558fd112353f263b3a48cda flac/14_now_we_are_free.flac 737a109724f46a89c818dd16b27230e2 flac/15_all_in_good_time.flac 9b4d2ad31c81c391045a8e4e33a60db5 flac/16_encore_break.flac 90ef54c25e66b4ef5c538e07ce0c6c4f flac/17_the_ubiquitous_mr_lovegrove.flac 010df73271aebef370a3b495736fd1ae flac/18_dreams_made_flesh.flac 0fe4cc36cf8094945ed9448d90b22064 flac/19_encore_break.flac 56e2b14521702018b58b065127a34f7d flac/20_song_to_the_siren.flac 1965d364fd12173aafb5750407ba6ef0 flac/21_return_of_the_sheking.flac 1b730c7e79c29f28a1c1d4cf41843d39 flac/22_encore_break.flac 297f57e7c1a3693ad466feeddd319926 flac/23_rising_of_the_moon.flac 48103e4f2927be0ccf26fcfbee24b9d4 flac/checksums.ffp 18187bbfcc8f64720e8d746e88b06ed1 photos/20120929_213151.jpg 19bd212ab1598d004359aa70bd5afe77 photos/20120929_213231.jpg 4cfd03de6d3a4c7319671ecfe654f2c4 photos/20120929_221806.jpg |
| Media | CD-R 2 discs |
| Tech Notes | Type: Audience master, recorded from seat in dead centre of 9th row, approximately 15 metres back from suspended PA. Source: Factory-matched pair of Schoeps CCM 41V microphones (DINa mounted) -> Marantz PMD661 recorder with Oade Concert Mod (-18 dB gain/44.1 kHz/24 bit WAV) Lineage: Audacity 2.0.2 * applied varying amplification for consistency * attenuated applause * added fades * split tracks * converted to 16 bit -> FLAC (compression level 8) [libFLAC 1.2.1 20070917] Taper: Ian Macdonald (ianmacd) |
| Microphones | Factory-matched pair of Schoeps CCM 41V microphones (DINa mounted) |
| J-Card Comment | Total running time: 121:35 At this point in the tour, I'd like to thank the band for scheduling a rest day after every gig. Whilst I'm sure that I never crossed their minds when they were making their plans, my family and I are nevertheless very appreciative of these moments of respite, allowing me sufficient time to return to Amsterdam between gigs and not be an entirely negligent father and husband. After a busy Saturday morning spent ferrying the children around to their various activities, there's just enough time to grab a bagel before I have to head out with Niek for the drive south to Brussels. The Belgian capital is a little less than 2½ hours away by car, so it's a good opportunity to temporarily stem the tour-induced haemorrhaging of cash by avoiding the rupture that an overnight stay in a hotel inflicts. If travelling by train, it wouldn't be possible to return the same evening, so we opt to journey by road instead. We arrive at the venue at 17:45, just in time to see David Kuckhermann getting out of the tour bus, is parked at the kerb of the stage door. I look around for a car park, but find none in the surrounding streets. Checking a parking meter, I discover to my great surprise that we can park on the street for free after 18:00. Gratis parking in the centre of a European capital? It would appear so, and my day is already well on its way to becoming a success. We settle on the inauspiciously named Titanic restaurant for some much needed food and an even more urgent evacuation of the bladder. While we are eating, Dead Can Dance drummer Dan Gresson enters the restaurant with his wife/girlfriend and takes a seat at a nearby table for dinner. A few minutes later, I spot Jules Maxwell through the window, apparently also deliberating whether to eat in this establishment. He and his wife/girlfriend decide against it, however, and head elsewhere. If this keeps up, Brendan may soon appear in the doorway. That could prove interesting. No further band members materialise, however. We finish dinner and meet up with Saskia and a friend of hers from Paris. I've got their tickets, so we trade cash for concert currency and then make our way into the venue. Thankfully, the Cirque Royal is managing the arriving punters much more efficiently than did Le Grand Rex in Paris, enabling us to take our seats well in advance of the support act this evening. The seats are wider than Le Grand Rex's, but beyond uncomfortable to sit on. Before the evening is out, my arse bone will feel as if it is trying to drill its way out of my buttock in protest at its inhumane treatment. On a more positive note, though my seat may not be comfortable, it is located in the middle of the ninth row, an absolutely ideal position from which to listen and record, forming an equilateral triangle with the left and right PA stacks. I have high hopes for the sound this evening and my capture of it. David Kuckhermann takes to the stage around 20:00, but there's a significant difference from the previous two performances I've witnessed. Tonight, he's joined by Siberian multi-instrumentalist, Vladiswar Nadishana. The set they play is a mixture of pieces that David has been playing on this tour, enhanced now by Nadishana's contributions, a solo piece by Nadishana on the Jew's harp, and perhaps a composition not aired the first two times I saw David. It's a brilliant set and I record it for posterity. The production line here, however, is currently running at full capacity just to stay on top of the recordings of Dead Can Dance, so it's going to be a few days yet before I can catch up and prepare the Kuckhermann sets from Utrecht and Brussels for upload. The lights go down at 21:00 for Dead Can Dance. The band are greeted by rapturous applause which fades into the opening strains of 'Children Of The Sun'. The sound is, indeed, fantastic this evening. It's mixed to perfection every evening, to be honest, but tonight we really are seated in a superb location and experience the whole concert with optimal sound. Musically, the band are tighter yet than in Paris. Apart from an obvious mistake in 'Amnesia', the two hour performance is flawless to my ears. The audience, too, are incredibly respectful this evening. For example, there's very little of that annoying phenomenon of cheering over the start of a song in recognition of what is being played. The band seem completely at ease. In fact, everything about this occasion is relaxed. It was very easy to get here, very easy to park, dinner was unhurried, taking our seats was without fuss, and now the band seem completely calm and relaxed. I keeping meaning to mention, but keep forgetting, how much I love David Kuckhermann's frame drum introduction to 'Opium'. Those finger rolls he does over the canvas satisfy the senses much like a cold drink quenching one's thirst. I must also mention Astrid Williamson, who is not only a delight to behold as her fingers stroke and glide over the keys as if performing some carefully choreographed routine, but adds a significant new dimension with her backing vocals. Providing a background layer to Brendan's deep croon is one thing, but she also succeeds in augmenting Lisa's unique vocals. No mean feat. There's a rich bass sound in the house tonight, too. In particular, the numbers on which Richard Yale plays bass guitar come booming through, but never overpower. On the contrary, it's a very pleasing enrichment of the sound, a case of not knowing what one has been missing until it is suddenly and emphatically pointed out. Set highlights are, of course, 'Sanvean', 'The Host Of Seraphim' and 'Dreams Made Flesh', which all go down a storm here, as at every other venue on this tour. On Brendan's side, I would have to say that his cover of 'Song To The Siren' trumps all others sung by him this evening. It might not be his own composition, but the song could have been written for him. Though it may count as blasphemy in some quarters, for my money, Brendan's rendition reduces Buckley's own to the status of 'good effort', equalling and perhaps surpassing even Liz Fraser's definitive reading. Of the songs on the new album, 'Anastasis', the most impressive are those sung by Brendan. 'Opium' is probably the album's highlight, but it's the final track, 'All In Good Time', where Brendan's passion comes afire and his most emotive vocal performance is delivered. Every live rendition of that song is sung as if it's the first time. Three encores are the standard for these shows, but tonight, both band and audience earn each and every one of them and there is no sense of their being mere performance cliché. The deep, rich bass I spoke of is nowhere more in evidence than on 'The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove', whose thundering undercurrent powers the song like a nuclear reactor and perhaps elevates it this evening to the status of definitive rendition. Truly, it has never sounded better. The whole recording of the Brussels concert is sublime and it is, perhaps, the best of the four I have so far made of this tour. Its full bass sound and near-flawless performance set it apart from the others. Take your pick, though. It's very hard to choose favourites, as all four recordings sound excellent to my ears. As ever, samples are included for your approval. Next stop: Frankfurt! |
| Trades Allowed | Yes Traded from: Ian McDonald |
| Ratings | Show: * Sound: B+ |
| Reference / Generation | A518 / 1 |
| Lists | Lossless Audiolist |
Owned by Teeth Grinder
· Last Updated May 23, 2023
Add Show
View Show